Planning for Sustainability

Planning for Sustainability
Author: Stephen M. Wheeler
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 418
Release: 2013-07-18
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 1136482016

How can human communities sustain a long-term existence on a small planet? This challenge grows ever more urgent as the threat of global warming increases. Planning for Sustainability presents a wide-ranging, intellectually well-grounded and accessible introduction to the concept of planning for more sustainable and livable communities. The text explores topics such as how more compact and walkable cities and towns might be created, how local ecosystems can be restored, how social inequalities might be reduced, how greenhouse gas emissions might be lowered, and how more sustainable forms of economic development can be brought about. The second edition has been extensively revised and updated throughout, including an improved structure with chapters now organized under three sections: the nature of sustainable planning, issues central to sustainable planning, and scales of sustainable planning. New material includes greater discussion of climate change, urban food systems, the relationships between public health and the urban environment, and international development. Building on past schools of planning theory, Planning for Sustainability lays out a sustainability planning framework that pays special attention to the rapidly evolving institutions and power structures of a globalizing world. By considering in turn each scale of planning—international, national, regional, municipal, neighborhood, and site and building—the book illustrates how sustainability initiatives at different levels can interrelate. Only by weaving together planning initiatives and institutions at different scales, and by integrating efforts across disciplines, can we move towards long-term human and ecological well-being.

Strategic Corporate Conservation Planning

Strategic Corporate Conservation Planning
Author: Margaret O'Gorman
Publisher: Island Press
Total Pages: 282
Release: 2020-02-06
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1610919408

Industries that drive economic growth and support our comfortable modern lifestyles have exploited natural resources to do so. But now there’s growing understanding that business can benefit from a better relationship with the environment. Leading corporations have begun to leverage nature-based remediation, restoration, and enhanced lands management to meet a variety of business needs, such as increasing employee engagement and establishing key performance indicators for reporting and disclosures. Strategic Corporate Conservation Planning offers fresh insights for corporations and environmental groups looking to create mutually beneficial partnerships that use conservation action to address business challenges and realize meaningful environmental outcomes. Recognizing the long history of mistrust between corporate action and environmental effort, Strategic Corporate Conservation Planning begins by explaining how to identify priorities that will yield a beneficial relationship between a company and nonprofit. Next, O’Gorman offers steps for creating ecologically-focused projects that address key business needs. Chapters highlight existing projects with different scales of engagement, emphasizing that headline-generating, multimillion dollar commitments are not necessarily the most effective approach. Myriad case studies featuring programs from habitat restoration to environmental educational initiatives at companies like Bridgestone USA, General Motors, and CRH Americas are included to help spark new ideas. With limited government funding available for conservation and increasing competition for grant support, corporate efforts can fill a growing need for environmental stewardship while also providing business benefits. Strategic Corporate Conservation Planning presents a comprehensive approach for effective engagement between the public and private sector, encouraging pragmatic partnerships that benefit us all.

Local Climate Action Planning

Local Climate Action Planning
Author: Michael R. Boswell
Publisher: Island Press
Total Pages: 300
Release: 2012-07-16
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 1610912012

Climate change is a global problem, but the problem begins locally. Cities consume 75% of the world's energy and emit 80% of the world's greenhouse gases. Changing the way we build and operate our cities can have major effects on greenhouse gas emissions. Fortunately, communities across the U.S. are responding to the climate change problem by making plans that assess their contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and specify actions they will take to reduce these emissions. This is the first book designed to help planners, municipal staff and officials, citizens and others working at local levels to develop Climate Action Plans. CAPs are strategic plans that establish policies and programs for mitigating a community's greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions. They typically focus on transportation, energy use, and solid waste, and often differentiate between community-wide actions and municipal agency actions. CAPs are usually based on GHG emissions inventories, which indentify the sources of emissions from the community and quantify the amounts. Additionally, many CAPs include a section addressing adaptation-how the community will respond to the impacts of climate change on the community, such as increased flooding, extended drought, or sea level rise. With examples drawn from actual plans, Local Climate Action Planning guides preparers of CAPs through the entire plan development process, identifying the key considerations and choices that must be made in order to assure that a plan is both workable and effective.

Resilience in Social-Ecological Systems

Resilience in Social-Ecological Systems
Author: Marianne E. Krasny
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2013-10-18
Genre: Education
ISBN: 131796652X

Resilience thinking challenges us to reconsider the meaning of sustainability in a world that must constantly adapt in the face of gradual and at times catastrophic change. This volume further asks environmental education and resource management scholars to consider the relationship of environmental learning and behaviours to attributes of resilient social-ecological systems - attributes such as ecosystem services, innovative governance structures, biological and cultural diversity, and social capital. Similar to current approaches to environmental education and education for sustainable development, resilience scholarship integrates social and ecological perspectives. The authors of Resilience in social-ecological systems: the role of learning and education present a wealth of perspectives, integrating theory with reviews of empirical studies in natural resource management, and in youth, adult, and higher education. The authors explore the role of education and learning in helping social-ecological systems as they respond to change, through adaptation and transformation. This book also serves to integrate a growing literature on resilience and social learning in natural resources management, with research in environmental education and education for sustainable development. This book was originally published as a special issue of Environmental Education Research.

The Environmental Stewardship Toolkit

The Environmental Stewardship Toolkit
Author: Anthony L. Williams
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2012-03-13
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 0470635169

A comprehensive, one-stop guide to environmental stewardship for golf courses and grounds This highly practical guide covers the full complement of tools green industry professionals need to create a successful environmental program on golf courses and grounds. Written by a leading golf course superintendent and grounds manager, The Environmental Stewardship Toolkit offers a comprehensive analysis of all relevant issues, including environmental management, resource management, community engagement, and document management. The emphasis throughout is on the development of programs that are both sustainable and practical, combining the protection and renewal of environmental systems with a workable business plan. Regulatory issues as well as concerns of owners, customers, and the community at large are also addressed. Clear, pragmatic, up-to-the-minute coverage includes: Numerous illustrations, photos, and customizable templates and checklists that readers can use in their own projects A system for sorting projects into green, greener, and greenest in order to tailor implementation for different budgets and project complexity An in-depth look at site assessment, water quality and conservation, integrated pest management, and wildlife habitat management Guidance for developing green public relations and communications skills to promote the project in the community Field-tested procedures for building a state-of-the art documentation system for capturing, organizing, and disseminating information A must-read for golf course superintendents, irrigation specialists, turfgrass specialists, and grounds managers, The Environmental Stewardship Toolkit is also useful for landscape architects and designers, grounds owners, developers, builders, contractors, and anyone wishing to be on the cutting edge of sustainability in the green industry.

Greening Health Care

Greening Health Care
Author: Kathy Gerwig
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2014-07-30
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0199385831

This volume examines the intersections of health care and environmental health, both in terms of traditional failures and the revolution underway to fix them. Authored by one of the pioneers in health care's green movement, it presents practical solutions for health care organizations and clinicians to improve their environments and the health of their communities.

Water Stewardship and Business Value

Water Stewardship and Business Value
Author: William Sarni
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 106
Release: 2018-04-09
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1317237471

The tangible value of increased water efficiency, reuse and recycling and improved social license to operate are moving more companies to adopt water stewardship strategies. This book frames an expanded strategy for water stewardship and business value creation, including brand value, that benefits a range of stakeholders including consumers, customers, investors and employees. The book shows that until recently the linkage between full business value and water stewardship has been missing from the corporate agenda. This linkage and value creation from a leading water strategy is increasingly important to socially responsible investors and "aspirationals" who value companies that have a social mission or focus to their overall business strategy. In general the largest portion of a company’s market capitalization is intangible value and understanding how a water strategy contributes to this intangible value is essential. The authors include cases studies and a framework or path forward to guide companies as they seek to build leading water strategy that goes beyond water stewardship to drive full business value from this investment. The book establishes the linkages and value from an integrated water and business strategy and an approach for companies to follow.

Climate Stewardship

Climate Stewardship
Author: Adina Merenlender
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 296
Release: 2021-09-07
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0520378946

Preface : united by nature, guided by science -- Extreme events, life in the new normal -- Big bay to tech town -- A changing harvest -- Keeping forests green and snow white -- Climate canaries -- Los Angeles plants itself -- Riding the California current.

Social Value, Climate Change and Environmental Stewardship: Insights from Theory and Practice

Social Value, Climate Change and Environmental Stewardship: Insights from Theory and Practice
Author: William Nikolakis
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 146
Release: 2023-02-02
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 3031231457

This book provides insight on the concept of social value and social return on investment (SROI) - or measures to evaluate the social outcomes from interventions, beyond simply jobs and income. It offers a new and holistic perspective on the values generated from environmental stewardship and forest governance, and focuses on the methods, approaches and outcomes for understanding social value and SROI. The book offers new directions in social value and SROI, including cultural and spiritual outcomes, gender equity, and health and well-being, and provides pathways for implementing interventions and measuring social impact. It includes state of the art approaches from diverse and interdisciplinary experts drawn from academia and professional practice, including the voices and perspectives of Indigenous Peoples and local communities involved in programs, with a focus on environmental stewardship. Social value and SROI are increasingly used to assess outcomes from conservation and this book broadens the conversation on the impact and business case for these interventions. The book offers practical guidance to readers in pursuing social value and those seeking to measure it.